Adventures of Lydia and Joe

Fall color over Minnesota

It’s our final day of this long journey. We had to take two flights to get home: Chicago to Minneapolis and Minneapolis to LAX. I think its Delta’s way of discouraging us from using air miles. The first flight was short and uneventful. We were able to stuff all the gifts into our regular luggage so we were down to 4 pieces again. Our plan was to carry them on so we wouldn’t have to check anything, thus avoiding baggage claim. In all our flights, this was the only one where the agent at the gate said anything about our having too many carry-ons because I also had a small purse. She said I’d have to put my purse inside one of our bags unless we had medical equipment (bags with

LA clear skies

Home at last

medical equipment don’t count ). Thank Heaven for Joe’s CPAP machine! The agent looked almost disappointed. So we boarded with no problem. As we flew over the vegetation, I could see the Fall color starting in the trees. Once we got to Minneapolis we had to change planes. And finally we were headed home. They served free drinks and snacks (peanuts or pretzels) but other food was for sale. We bought some icky sandwiches and a few other snacks ( $26 worth), and landed smoothly. We didn’t have to go through baggage claim so we were able to get a taxi rather quickly and get home. We were greeted by a welcome home sign, fresh flowers, and a refrigerator full of goodies. Then we looked in the pantry and it was stocked, too. Julie and Sarah made sure we’d have food for a couple of days and

Joe’s first Carrow’s breakfast

American Ensalada Mixta

Edi supplied one of the floral arrangements. Calls and texts flowed freely. We can hardly wait to see everyone again soon.

And so ends our 2016 saga.

Proud Paca

We agreed to meet Garrett at 11:30 for the baseball tour so we packed up, had an excellent breakfast supplied by the hotel and checked out. Garrett gave us a great tour of the baseball complex including his locker, a practice room, and the dugout. We met two of his coaches who were very welcoming. Garrett seems very proud of his team and his school. Another coach greeted us from a distance. He has been very helpful to Garrett with some of his writing assignments. Then G needed to go to class. Joe and I took the opportunity to go and explore Valparaiso downtown and have some lunch. We picked a cute restaurant that reminded me of Grass Roots in South Pasadena. We went to a local drug store that was similar to Fair Oaks Pharmacy in that it sold just about everything including prescriptions. We got Garrett some Hallowe’en treats and wrapped them in a bag with baseballs all over it. We included a little cash and a cute “We Miss You” card. We drove around the town just to see the homes and businesses. Then we found ourselves right in front of the Teresa of Avila Catholic Center. We were greeted by a pleasant lady who was doing gardening work. We asked her a few questions and she said she would take us into the office where we could get our questions answered. We met Chris, the enthusiastic campus minister, who gave us a pamphlet and a lot of information on the services available to students including Mass, of course, and retreats, mission trips, service opportunities (they feed the hungry every Thursday night and students assist. The students also get a home cooked meal!)    

Team motivation

Valpo field

Will these be decorated for Christmas?

We passed the information on to Garrett a little later.
We met Garrett after his class. We decided it would be better for him and us if we didn’t go to an early dinner. His Fall Break was just starting and he had plans to go home with one of his friends to Indianapolis for the long week-end. We needed to get back to Chicago to our hotel near the airport and Joe didn’t want to drive in the dark. I think Garrett was relieved that he didn’t need to keep his friend waiting even if he was too sweet to say so. So after lots of hugs, we took off. Only a few minutes later, he texted us to thank us for the gifts. He said he was already eating the candy! So we drove to Chicago approaching from the south. The south side of Chicago is not pretty. It is also very segregated, first with the black area, then the latino. First there were 3 story brick apartments in various stages of repair. Then there were single family homes or duplexes that all looked alike. Then there was a mix of both. The homes go right up to the edge of the airport. It must be very noisy for them. We returned the car with only one wrong turn (my fault) and got to our hotel, a rather expensive Hampton Inn. It was nice enough and clean but overpriced. We both had a hard time sleeping. I think coming to the end of the trip is almost as stressful as the beginning.

One of many tollgates

A Warm Welcome

South side of Chicago

Valparaiso University Business School

I love shadow pictures

Our boy

Indiana Dunes State Park

Sunset at the dunes

Sunset glinting on Chicago skyline

Garrett had to finish a paper and go to class so we agreed to meet in the afternoon. That left Joe and me free to catch up on sleep, do laundry (this hotel even had a guest laundry!), go to lunch at a funky place that was designed to honor the Industrial revolution and the steel industry, and for Joe to get a much needed haircut. I needed time to catch up on this blog. All the flights have made it difficult to keep up.

We met Garrett around 4:30 and he had two wishes: to go to the Indiana Dunes State Park and to eat a steak! He is sick of dorm food. So we headed off for the park. I never even heard of Indiana Dunes but there was plenty of literature about it at the hotel. It is located about 20 minutes north of Valparaiso on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. It seemed a little late in the day to pay the $12 entrance fee but the park is open until 11PM. As soon as I saw the lake, the $12 became irrelevant. It was a deep blue color with little whitecaps lapping the shore. The sand is tan in color and very fine. The beach was remarkably clean with very few people. We saw a lady doing Tai Chi exercises. When she finished, we asked her if she would take our photos. She was more than willing and even told us a bit of the history of the park. We walked around for a bit and saw an old lookout tower up on a dune. Of course we had to go up there. The view was sensational. I noticed the sun was about to set so we scrambled back to the beach and witnessed a glorious sunset with the skyline of Chicago in the background. The weather had been perfect all day with little wind and a clear sky. I could see the sunset reflected in one of the Chicago skyscrapers. When nature’s show was over, we headed for the car and dinner. Garrett had picked out a place that was in the nearby town of Portage. It turned out to be the perfect choice for a hungry boy and two travelers who hadn’t had a good American meal in a long time. Garrett had his steak and I had a half rack of juicy and tender baby back ribs. Joe had chicken, as usual, but it was very good. So tummies and senses full, we headed back to Valpo. We’ll meet Garrett tomorrow morning to see the baseball field and field house.

Two flights today – 9 hours Madrid to Atlanta and 1 1/2 hours to Chicago with a 3 hour layover in Atlanta. Then rent another car (last one!) and drive an hour and a half  to Valparaiso to the Best Western University Inn. The drive to Valpo was surprisingly easy because we rented a toll pass device from National which allowed us to sail through the many toll gates with minimal stopping. We were in frequent contact with Garrett and made a plan to meet him for a bite to eat, then get him back to campus so he could finish writing a paper. We went to the Applebee’s next to our hotel. Big mistake. My hamburger was awful. Where’s an ensalada mixta when you need one?!  It was so good to see him. He looks happy and healthy. He shared photos of his “friend group”. We made a plan to meet him after school tomorrow so he could finish writing a paper and go to class and we could rest after our marathon travel day.

The day finally came when we had to finish our Artajona visit and take Katherine back to school. I was dreading this day, but, as usual, the family made it very special. Joe and I had a liesurely morning waiting for Katherine, Miguel, Araceli, and Carlos to get back from Pamplona in time for the 12 noon Mass. I learned how to make coffee in the strange looking coffee pot I’ve seen here. It’s just a miniature percolator. That and some toast were enough for us. As soon as they arrived, we popped in the car and were off to the local

Luisa and the baby Oliver at their home

The Hermita

Typical Spanish landscape

The Virgin of Jerusalem statue featured over the altar

At the lecturn, just like home

After Mass

At Txus and Luisa’s home

Hermita for Mass. Everyone showed up and we took photos afterwards of the altar and the replicas of the Virgin of Jerusalem. Then more photos outside. Jeru, Loly, Fernando and their families excused themselves as they were going to visit their aunt who is gravely ill in the hospital in Pamplona. Araceli, Miguel and Carlitos and we were off to the home of Txus (son of Jesus Marie) and his wife Louisa for lunch. Txus and his parents came to California 7 or 8 years ago and we met them in Monterey and toured them around the area. He has become a noted scientist and researcher in liver disease, especially liver and biliary duct cancer. We’re friends on Facebook where he posts updates about his research. He spent several years at the Mayo Clinic and frequently returns to the US to present papers or conduct seminars. Their home is a reconstructed wine cellar that his grandfather lived in many years ago. They have done a beautiful job of preserving some of the old and making a lovely home with the feel of the old. He also has a large terraced back yard with a view to the old church complex on the hill right behind them. Lunch was again served family style with all the components for salad as well as pimiento, little chorizo sausages, olives, croquettas, and fruit. They have two little boys ages almost 3 and almost 1 who are as cute as can be. They were so wasrm and welcoming. The most amazing thing that happened for Katherine is that Txus invited her to apply for a fellowship in either research or medicine at the Mayo Clinic or in any of the other clinics with which he is involved including some in Spain. What a great opportunity for her. We had to leave to get Katherine back to school and to her home for dinner. So reluctantly we said our goodbyes. Lots of abrazos all around and a few tears from me after we got in the car. Katherine slept most of the way back and we had no trouble finding her place. More goodbyes, more tears. Then we returned the car without problem and got a taxi to our hotel. It is a very nice hotel very close to the airport and offers free shuttle service to the airport. So no worries except to be up and ready for the 7 am shuttle. Ugh.

On our way back to Artajona from Pamplona we could see the terrible devastation caused by the great fire this past August. Hundreds of acres burned and homes were threatened. We’re used to hearing this, but the Spaniards are not. We also showed Katherine the arbor authorized by Fernando Banales when he was the mayor of Artajona.

Fire devastation

The arbor Fernando Banales had built for Artajona when he was mayor

Loly and Ignacio’s daughter

The Aqueduct

Uncastillo town

Uncastillo’ s one castle dating from Visigoth time

Jesus at the Uncastillo Museum and Tourist Office

The Hermita and Roman bath at Ciudad Romano Los Banales

It’s really weird seeing your name posted all over

At the Pamplona bull ring – Joe, Petrus, Belidia (his wife) Katherine, Carlitos, me, and Miguel

Tapas – croquettas and manchego cheese with membrillo – yum

We got going by 9am, a minor miracle, and drove to Uncastillo, a charming village Joe and I first visited 18 years ago. The weekend fiesta of the Virgin of Los Banales is held here each year on the last weekend in May. We met the Banales family at this fiesta and they immediately adopted us as family. The village has changed radically in 18 years. The visitor center which was in a tiny office in the center of town has moved to a spacious building at the top of the town. Artifacts that were lying against walls neglected because there was no money to preserve them are now lovingly encased and on display. It is obvious that a lot of money and research has been poured into this place. The fellow behind the desk, Jesus, remembered Dan and Andrew from their visit in 1997 and said to say hello. They must have made quite an impression! In 1998, this same man toured us around the town with its 5 churches and showed us some of its ancient treasures. It is gratifying to know that they are now being cared for properly. We then proceeded to our next destination, the Ancient Roman Ruins of Los Banales. This is where the Mass is held to kick off the fiesta and the place we met the Banales family. We’ve been here many times since then and it was a joy to share it with Katherine. There are 3 main sights – the Hermita Banales (the church), the Roman Bath, and the remaining pillars of the aqueduct, over 2000 years old. There was only one other visitors so we were able to walk around at our leisure and take photos. The aqueduct is a little distance from the Bath and sits slightly elevated along a wind-swept plain. Katherine got a beautiful panoramic photo. The church was closed as it is only used for the fiesta and a few other special occasions. The Bath is fenced so you can only see it from the outside. Years ago you could clamber around the stones and inside the Bath. In the background you can see how archeologists are excavating the site. A lot of research is being done here now. After our visit, we headed for Pamplona and our 1:30 meeting with Miguel, Carlos (his 18 year old son), Pedro (another Banales brother) and his wife, Belidia. We parked at the bull ring and were 1 minute early. Pretty good timing! We saw the statue of Hemingway in the plaza next to the bull ring and then walked up the street the bulls run down on the Festival of San Fermin. Pedro, his wife, Joe and I then repaired to a restaurant for tapas and wine while Carlos, Katherine, and Miguel went off exploring. Later they joined us for lunch. After a good meal of chicken and rice and salad, we found a souvenir store (couldn’t resist getting some thing with bling for my sister) and said a fond farewell to Petrus (Pedro) and Belidia. We headed back to Artajona where Miguel and Araceli are hosting dinner. I felt rather guilty sitting and resting while our hosts scurried around but they insisted (Miguel with his frequent admonition to me “Tranquilo, Lydia, tranquilo!). Carlitos was helping his parents. As they extended their usual dining table it kept getting longer and longer. It turns out that most of the family are coming for dinner! Their dinner was in a different style as everything was in bowls or platters and people just helped themselves as food kept coming from the kitchen. There were the usual salad makings, so yummy, and chorizo, croquettas, little sausages encased in baked dough, crusty little bread slices with ham and pimiento, and something in a little ring shape, fried. Araceli proclaimed that she didn’t cook, that Miguel did it all. Then there was fresh pineapple, some thin butter cookies, a flan made by Loly and coffee. Then the inevitable liqueurs. As usual, wine and conversation flowed with this lively bunch. In addition to Miguel, Araceli, Joe, me, Katherine and Carlitos, there were Jeru and Juan Mari, Loli and Ignacio, and Jesus Marie and Maria de Jesus. Other than a photo of Loly’s daughter who came to say hello, the only dinner photo I have is a video of another Jota which is too long for this blog. Finally, close to midnight, they all went home. Araceli and Miguel went to Pamplona with Carlitos and Katherine. The young people were meeting Carlitos’ friends at a discotheque. I gave Carlitos the talk about guarding “my treasure”, Katherine. I gave Katherine the talk about drinking in moderation and not to accept any drinks from anyone. They both assured me they would be fine. Later I learned they didn’t even come home until 5 am, not unusual in Spain.

Word press only allows a certain amount of photos in a post so I’ll see how many I can put on this page. (Couldn’t insert the video as it is too big. I’ll post a video of the Jota singing on Facebook later.)

Araceli, wife of Miguel and Fernando, one of the brothers Banales

Ancient area of Artajona

Fernando and Miguel

Miguel, Ignacio, husband of Loly, and Loly, one of the sisters Banales

Katherine, Joe, Sara, and her mom, Jeru

A modern day miner

More would-be miners

The mine pit

Banales bridge

This is the day for all things Banales. The plan is to see the Torre near here, a tower or castle once occupied by the Banales-Salazar families. We also plan to go to the mining operation in another site where there is the Banales bridge and the Barrio Banales. Mining was a very important industry in the area since ancient times. This mine was in operation until 1969 and has an interesting museum. Then if there’s time, we plan to go out into the countryside to Balmasedes, Galdames, and Sopuerta, places we’ve visited before that were important in family history.
As we left the hotel to walk to the torre, we stopped at the Tourist Information. The torre is not open for visitors. So scratch that plan. Katherine and I were very distracted by the market stands that were being set up in the plaza. Good thing for our budgets that the market wasn’t opening until noon. So we drove to the mining operation and museum. The earth in the area is rich with iron ore and the mine was very productive at one time. For most of its producing years it maintained a village for the workers and 3 hospitals. The museum has been greatly enlarged and refined since our last visit. A young English/Spanish man named Kevin took us on a tour to see the outside mine pit, said to be the deepest of all the Basque country mines. It started as open air mining and later mines were drilled underground as well. We looked at the displays of lamps, drills, ore carts, and tools as well as stretchers and wheelchairs, and clothing and shoes. After a visit to the store to buy some souvenirs we left to go to the Castle of Munatones

Barrio Banales

which has been engulfed by a large oil refining company. It is barely visible from the road and was inaccessible for years. Recently it was opened to visitors but only by appointment. So we could not go in. That was a bit of a disappointment as we wanted to show Katherine the Castle where the first Bañales lived. So we drove out into the countryside to visit the little towns where early Bañales lived. It was especially meaningful to me because Joe and I visited these towns in 1996 and stayed in an agroturismo home in Balmasedes. But the area has grown and changed. I recognized very little except the

Ancient Roman bridge on Balmasedes

Puente La Reina, a Camino crossroads

beautiful Roman bridge in Balmasedes. Joe recognized a restaurant he’d been to before, so we had a delicious lunch of lentil soup and chicken with rice followed by a yummy serving of flan. Then it was time to head to Artajona. We drove toward Puente La Reina as we wanted Katherine to see some of the Camino sights. Artajona Honda is a short drive from there. As we approached the town, familiar buildings came into view. We found the apartment and Jeru’s and Loly’s homes easily. Jeru greeted us with her usual big smile and warm hug. She told us that her daughter Sara couldn’t come to see us because she has been ordered to bed rest due to issues with her pregnancy. So we trooped up to Sara’s home to visit her. We met her 18 years ago when she was just a young teen playing her flute. Now she’s a lovely young woman with a husband and two boys, ages 8 and 5. She is so excited about this baby because, after two rambunctious boys, she is having a girl who is already named Elena. Sara is my Facebook friend so I’m sure I’ll hear more about this baby. She told us about a recent trip to Eurodisney with the whole family and her parents and her brother. They had a great time meeting all the Disney characters and going on the rides. Her husband was a kind host, bringing us drinks. The older boy graced us with a few words of English while the younger one acted like a typical 5 year old, hiding behind the couch and, at the urging of his grandmother, counting from one to ten in English. Her husband and boys said goodbye as they were off to Pamplona to a soccer match. The boys were dressed in full Real Madrid outfits. We visited a little more with Sara and then were off to Jeru’s home where Miguel and Araceli arrived with warm abrazos (hugs) and the double kiss of greeting. (I can’t get over how kind and hospitable these people are. ) We went next door to their apartment to rest until the 9 pm dinner at Jeru and Juan Mari’s. At the appointed hour we went next door. The table was set for about 14 and the kitchen counter was groaning with all the food prepared for the meal. There were all the makings for ensalada mixta as well as small chorizo sausages, mushrooms, and so much more. Everyone served themselves and the conversation flowed, and as the excitement mounted, the volume increased. The wine flowed as abundantly as the conversation. All the salad makings were cleared away to make way for the meat course. There were cutlets of veal, pork, and chicken accompanied by my favorite pimientos as well as more white asparagus (another favorite), and the good crusty bread. Then that made way for fruit – grapes from Jeru’s backyard arbor and watermelon from her garden. Loly contributed a beautiful flan. We thought that surely must be all until the coffee and liqueurs were presented. Katherine could hardly believe her eyes. In addition, more people arrived and departed. Jeru’s son Mario came by to say hello on his way to Pamplona for the soccer game. A cousin and her husband and son came by to meet us and stayed for dinner. It was a very lively evening. After I assessed that enough wine had been consumed, I prevailed upon Jesus Marie to sing a Jota, a beloved form of folk song in Navarra. Usually one person leads and the others join in, some in harmony. He reluctantly agreed and got everyone else to agree. Then he boomed the starting line and everyone sang along lustily. It was wonderful. I recorded a couple of them. Finally, after midnight the evening was over and we went back to the apartment for a much needed rest. What a special family. Of the seven brothers and sisters, Jeru, Loly, Miguel, Jesus Marie, and Fernando were at the dinner, Manolo met us in Barcelona, and Petrus will meet us for lunch tomorrow. Would we be as welcoming to people of the same name who couldn’t prove a direct family line? For almost 20 years this family has held us in their hearts and thoughts and has always given us the warmest of welcomes. (More photos and I hope a video in the next post.

(Sorry for no posts the past few days. Our hotel in Portugalete and our hosts in Artajona did not have wifi. )

Picked up the rental car, upgraded to a compact with automatic transmission, met Katherine, had a quick lunch (ensalada mixta, of course) and hit the road for Portugalete. This is a town on the West Bank of the river that runs through Bilbao and empties into the Bay of Bissau on the north edge of Spain. A lot of Banales family history originated near here. We chose a route through Burgos so we could show Katherine the Cathedral if we had time. As we got out on the highway the drizzle turned to rain, then the heavens opened. It was scary to be driving in such a downpour but Joe powered through it. As we approached Burgos we had a lot of memories of our previous Camino and the towns we went through and the friends we made and my crazy adventure with “the girls” to eat suckling lamb and hear the monks sing in Lemos. Katherine and I toured the Cathedral and I was again amazed by its vastness and its beauty. We took some photos and one insensitive selfie in front of a sculpture of the 3 kings. We came upon a chapel with a sculpture of Santiago Matamoros, a very common depiction of St. James, especially on the Camino de Santiago. St. James is said to have inspired the outnumbered and exhausted Spanish troops to continue their fight to reclaim Spain from the Moors in the Reconquista. We had to hurry our visit as Joe was waiting in the car. So off again to Portugalete. Joe was so happy that the area was still very familiar and he found his way to the hotel garage hidden on a back street. We got a room with a pullout couch for Katherine and a great view of the river and the Puente Colgante. The Puente Colgante is actually an iron structure designed by Eiffel of tower fame. It has towers on either side of the river and a crossbar structure from which is suspended a large gondola-like car which ferries vehicles and people back and forth across the river. Of course we had to ride on it! So we quickly got settled in our room and went across the river in search of dinner. The Italian place recommended by the hotel was ok; the ensalada mixta was really good. Nearly midnight, time for bed. And so ended another great day. We’ll explore a lot of Banales roots sights tomorrow.

Puente Colgante, Portugalete

Burgos Cathedral

Santiago Matamoros